Obsession
by Kintokun
Summary: Add is back and out for Eve's Nasod Core. But first he's going to need help from the Reckless Fist and Ara's brother Aren. Now Elsword and his friends must band together to rescue Eve from Add's clutches and save Aren and Raven before they destroy themselves. Includes Elsword x Aisha, Raven x Rena, Chung x Eve. Rated T just to be safe :)
1. Chapter 1

Raven awoke as soon as his Nasod Arm had decided to release a relentless wave of electrical shocks. He groaned in pain and began to yell as the pain grew worse and worse. He rolled out of his bed and collapsed on the wooden floor, clutching his abnormally sized hand which glowed an orange reddish color from the lines running across the arm. It was oddly shaped with large, black claws and a single orange circle in the middle of his palm which spewed fire whenever he commanded it to. Certain parts of his arm were covered in black armor while certain parts were red colored and glowed brighter and brighter as the pain grew. It had grown over the years, the more Raven had used it carelessly to take down waves of Nasod's and other enemies. He knew that it would've been better if he had taken Eve's offer to shut off the Nasod Arm and eliminate its sentience.

But he had refused, and now he was feeling the consequences.

Images and memories flashed through his head, causing him to scream and pound his fists against the ground and walls.

_Raven...help me..._Seris's voice rang in his head from when she was on the verge of death. The Arm reminded him of every death his existence had created. Of how Seris and his mercenaries fell to the Velder Knights. How he had dealt justice and aimed for revenge, destroying the homes of innocents and slaughtering an endless amount of people.

_Remember how good it felt? _The Arm whispered in his head.

Raven felt the impulse to say yes back. But he fought it down with whatever remained of his conscience. He cried out as another electrical shock ran through his body.

_Kill them. Get revenge for what they did to us. It's the only way you can ever get her back, Raven. _

Raven screamed, desperately trying to fight back the invasion the Arm was launching. He knew what it wanted. To control Raven and carry out its own ideals. But Raven couldn't give in. He needed to end this before he did something he would regret for the rest of his life.

_Get up, Raven, show those foolish humans the power of the Nasods! _The Arm screamed in his head.

Raven rose to his feet, but he had his own goal in mind.

His eyes rested on the sword hanging over his bed. It was made out of El-infused steel that reflected any projectile.

And it was sharp enough to kill in an instant.

He grabbed it with his right arm and pointed the sharp end to his chest, where his heart was.

His mind screamed in agony as the Arm did everything it could to stop him from killing himself.

_No! No! No! Don't you want to see her again!? Don't you want revenge for what they did to her!? What they did to us!? _

"No...no, I don't." Raven whispered as he drew back the sword and thrusted it forward, eyes closed, fully prepared to welcome's death's freedom.

But an image of Rena, dagger and bow in hand, smiling warmly flashed in his mind and he dropped his sword immediately.

He then began to cry. He cried for the monster he would become and what he would do as that monster.

_We will accomplish great things together, Raven. Trust me._

"Oh god...someone help me…" Raven begged to the darkness shrouding him.

"I will." The darkness responded. Hearing that voice caused Raven to sit upright and look around the room, searching for the voice's owner.

Finally his eyes rested upon a figure in the doorway. In the dim light he could make out the shining lavender eyes and white messy hair that was drawn back in a ponytail. He wore a white hooded jacket that reached down to his knees. underneath it was a vested button-up wore white khaki pants and white shoes.

Everything about him was sophisticated and regal looking. Like Eve if she were a boy.

"I can make the pain go away. My family used to research Nasods and I followed in their footsteps. That Arm of yours? I know how to give you control." The man said.

"Who are you?" Raven managed to say between breaths.

"My name is Add. And you are Raven, yes?" Add answered.

Raven would have normally been skeptical of this white-haired man but if he knew how to put an end to his pain, then he would gladly allow him to do whatever he needed to.

"You can...take this thing off?" Raven asked, gritting his teeth as more waves of pain filled his body.

Add laughed and slowly made his way over to Raven. He knelt down and looked into his amber eyes.

"I can do _much _better."

He reached into his back pocket and withdrew a tiny little device. It was round with a glowing purple center. His eyes drifted down to Raven's twitching arm as he grabbed it, ignoring Raven's painful protests and attaching the device to his palm.

Raven immediately tried to retaliate and push this suspicious figure back but he failed. His arm pained him tremendously and he could only hope that what Add was doing was right and would help.

All of a sudden the pain went away. Raven stopped writhing in agony and biting his tongue viciously. _The pain is gone._ He thought. Beginning to laugh hysterically.

_It's gone!_ He laughed even harder as joy spread and filled his body. He no longer had to worry about turning on his friends and killing them in cold blood. He no longer had to worry about Elsword's inevitable promise to kill him. He no longer had to push away his friends and the people in Velder that had begun to appreciate his efforts. He could finally live his life freely and enjoy it without worrying about his lack of time.

He finally had what he thought he might possibly deserve.

A future.

He looked up at Add who was smiling deviously. His eyes sparkled and Raven immediately knew something was wrong.

"What did you do?" Raven asked cautiously.

Add's smile only grew wider.

Raven felt a sudden shock course through his body as the pain returned in one vicious strike. As if the arm delivered one single power-packed punch and knocked away Raven's consciousness.

The last words he heard came from Add's smirking mouth.

"You are now my king in this wonderful little game of chess." He said. "And I'm going to win."

Elsword swung his sword back and forth. Exchanging blows with Lowe who returned each strike with a jab or a slice. Elsword grinned as he already began to plan a careful combo.

He brought his sword down towards Lowe's head which he quickly blocked with his flat-edged sword. He bit his lip as the two blades collided. Elsword quickly moved his feet, sweeping the ground and Lowe's feet up into the sky as Lowe fell onto his back hard and Elsword held his sword a few inches above Lowe's neck.

"Damn...you know I can't even keep up with you anymore." Lowe said as Elsword sheathed his blade and helped his long-time friend up to his feet. They walked back down the trail leading to the grassy clearing and made their way to Ruben Village.

"Well maybe you're not as much of a challenge as you used to be but I'm not all done with you yet." Elsword smiled.

"Please, compared to you I'm like that baby phoru Aisha always carries around." Lowe joked.

"Aw come on, you aren't that bad." Elsword contradicted.

Lowe raised his eyebrow.

"Well, what can I say? Fighting armies of nasods, demons, mercenaries, knights, and monsters does pay off in the long run." Elsword bragged.

Lowe shook his head, grinning.

"So, you heard from your friends these days? Especially...uh...that mercenary?" Lowe asked.

Elsword stopped smiling as the thought of his friend Raven floated to the surface of his mind. He recalled the last time he had seen his pained ally.

It had not went well.

"No. And I'm glad Raven hasn't even written so much as a letter to me. If he did...I don't think I'd want to even read it." Elsword said.

"You gotta kill him someday, Elsword. You said it yourself, it was inevitable. I don't know why you keep trying to find loopholes or some other way." Lowe commented, much to Elsword's annoyance.

"Because there has to be! I don't believe in accepting what fate puts on your plate. Especially when it's not fair! He's done so much for us...so much for the world and all his reward is death?"

"Elsword, sometimes you can't change things for the better. Sometimes there are casualties and-"

"Shut up." Elsword stopped walking and turned toward his friend. His face was full of anger and disbelief. "Just shut up."

Lowe took one long look at him before his gaze slowly fell upon the ground beneath him and lost all interest in a conversation.

They walked through the forest, alive with phoru's and other animals. As long as Ruben's El was present, the forest would always thrive. Bathed by the warm summer sun, it was a lush, green area with small trees and numerous amounts of bushes, shrubs, and other greenery. Pebbles and rocks littered the floor as foxes and rabbits trotted by, stepping over them and burying them deeper into the rich, brown soil.

A strange looking fox trotted by, it's head raised high as it glanced at the Elsword and Lowe. It's eyes were gleaming red and it's hind had nine tails instead of one. That alone caught the attention of the two swordsmen who immediately knelt down to get a better look at the fox.

And then it spoke, "You are Elsword, yes?"

Elsword was not a stranger to talking animals. After all they lived in a forest full of creatures that spoke, while some remained silent.

But foxes had never spoken before.

"What the hell!?" Lowe exclaimed taking a step back. Even Elsword was bewildered by the sudden voice coming from the fox.

"Please refrain from using vulgarities around me." The Fox said again, glaring at Lowe.

"Wha...I can't even…" Lowe tried to find something intelligible to say but came up with nothing. Leaving all the talking to Elsword.

"You are Elsword, yes?" The Fox said once again, this time facing Elsword looking quite impatient.

Suddenly Elsword had a vague memory of girl with the appearance of a fox like this. She had nine white tails and elegant white hair. When he had first met the girl she had seemed to be some sort of demon. But Elsword had soon learned that she was in fact a human with a fox spirit inside of her. Elsword struggled to remember her name until it finally came back to him.

"Wait, are you Ara?" Elsword squinted staring at the fox.

"No, I'm Eun. The fox spirit." The Fox said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"Oh! Oh...but how are you not in Ara's body?"

"A sort of projection technique. I've temporarily left her body in my first form to come and find you."

"Why?" Elsword asked, now standing and focused.

"Because she needs your help. She was on her way to Velder when we were attacked. We combined our efforts to try and stop our attacker but he immediately knocked us around like we were nothing. I can't even believe I was that weak against such a strong force…" Eun explained.

_Velder? Attack? _There had been no news of any type of threats in Velder. If there had been Elsword would've been the first to know. Unless…

"Who was it? Who attacked you and Ara, Eun? Who did it!?" Elsword asked with more urgency this time.

"One of your comrades...the fellow with the Nasod Arm. Raven of the Black Crow Mercenaries."


	2. Chapter 2

Aisha gritted her teeth as Angkor nibbled on a piece of corn. She stared at the small bat which was one of her greatest power sources. Of course, she had a feeling the animal was a bit of a pervert due to her costume, she still was grateful for the power he had granted her.

"Princess Aisha? I sense you in discomfort? Would you like me to-" Angkor offered before Aisha interrupted him.

"No! No, no, no. Don't do anything. You just...eat you corn and leave me be." Aisha declared. She placed Angkor down on the table and looked outside her window.

Her house was in the middle of Ruben's forests, a little ways south from Elder. She probably could've moved closer to the city but she couldn't stand living next to those ignorant fools that called her a demon. Every day they gave her sidelong looks filled with distrust and hate. As if she was the most evil thing in the world. Yet she was the one who had been there constantly fighting alongside her friends to protect these people. And this is what she got as her reward? Loneliness? Neglection?

_Stop being miserable. _Aisha told herself. But it was pointless. She couldn't fight down the irresistible urge to complain and whine about her situation. She liked her powers, but how could she if everyone else disapproved of them?

Before she could return to her thoughts the door burst open and in walked Elsword, his red hair swept gently across his forehead, spiking out in different directions. His shoulderguards shined from the lamp hanging from the ceiling. His red and white clothes were more or less clean with a few dirt stains here and there.

Aisha raised an eyebrow at first shocked by Elsword's sudden appearance and his complete lack of knocking.

She clenched her fists and shook her head, preparing to yell at the red-haired boy.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm a rude, inconsiderate, kid who needs to learn some manners. What you have to say can wait another day, Aisha." Elsword said before Aisha could even breathe.

"What? Why are you in my house? Why are you here? I mean...I don't mind that you're here but I-I mean...just…" Aisha tried to say something smart but her mind came up with nothing so she just focused on Elsword's sudden appearance. "Why are you here?"

"It's Raven."

Aisha's hopes went down the drain and any amount of joy she might've gathered despite her current conditions immediately evaporated into thin air. She had been hoping Elsword had came to see her for...certain reasons and not for this. She knew there would be a time when Elsword would walk through her door and say Raven's name but she never imagined it to be so soon. Eve had only done a check-up a few days ago to say that he had about a month before the Nasod arm took over. Aisha couldn't believe it.

"But...he had one more month, that's what Eve said! One more month!" Aisha exclaimed.

"Yeah well it's happening sooner than expected. He already had a run-in with Ara and I don't know if she's in good condition. He left Velder already and I don't know where the hell he'd be going if he wasn't laying waste to Velder." Elsword explained. Behind him, Lowe walked in, his brown hair in disarray giving him a tired appearance. A white fox with intimidating scarlet eyes and nine glowing tails also trotted in. It's supernatural appearance struck Aisha as she remembered the first time they had met Ara and how white her hair had been and how red her eyes were.

"Is that Ara!?" Aisha said as the fox looked up with her. Aisha could tell it was not amused.

"I am _Eun_. Not Ara!" Eun exclaimed.

Angkor flew over to Aisha and landed on her shoulder. His yellow eyes landed on Eun and he screamed in terror. Eun smiled at the bat.

"Why, hello there Angkor. Long time no see." Eun greeted. Angkor chuckled.

"What are you doing here!? I thought you were still in the Spirit World! Don't tell me you made a contract with a human!?" Angkor said, obviously surprised.

"I did, actually. She's a very nice human. And she doesn't dress like she's a-"

"Shut up! Just shut up you dumb fox!" Angkor shouted. Aisha felt very exposed and very embarrassed, not for the first time.

"Um, I hate to interrupt but I don't think we have much time to be arguing about...whatever you guys are talking about…" Lowe intervened.

Eun smiled mockingly at Angkor who only mumbled something under his breath.

"Anyway, as I was saying about Raven, he's on a rampage and he's bound to come this way soon. I mean, I don't know for sure but-" Elsword began to say.

Aisha interrupted quickly, "The Nasod Arm is obviously controlling him. Let's think this through, isn't it obvious where Raven would go? The Nasod Arm is obviously going to take out it's first potential threat to its survival."

"Like...us?" Lowe asked. Then he rephrased it, "I mean you...not all of us…"

"Yes, Lowe. Like us. But _think_. Out of the six of us, meaning Elsword, Rena, Me, Chung, Ara, and Eve, there's only one that proves to be large obstacle."

Both Elsword and Lowe's faces lit up as they realized what Aisha was talking about. Aisha smiled, "Even Eldork got it."

Elsword ignored Aisha's tease and slammed his fist into his open palm, "Altera. Eve."

Eve set her cup of tea down on the marble coffee table in front of her. Chung did the same as he stared at her, looking more nervous than usual.

"How is your father? Better I presume?" Eve asked politely. She knew Chung's father had been possessed by demons and since Chung had saved him, he'd been in a coma-like state. After that Chung had been crowned temporary king since he was first in line. Now he seemingly had no time for his former friends. Eve wasn't bothered by this though. She knew that Chung had his duties, as did she. She had finally managed to rebuild the core which undoubtedly meant the revival of the Nasod was coming soon. She could hardly hold in her joy when she finally realized the core was fully optional and ready to work. Oberon and Ophelia had helped of course, and Eve would always consider them (despite their many faults) one of the first Nasod to be born after centuries of sleep.

Chung smiled, "He's...you know...sleeping I guess. I'm just glad he's back and alive, you know?"

"No, I don't. I do not understand your perspective either. You are aware that your father is in a comatose state, yes?" Eve contradicted, although she knew this wasn't what a normal human would say.

"You don't have to say it like that…" Chung replied his voice heavy with sadness. Eve felt a pang of guilt and immediately tried to find something to make up for her irrational behavior.

"I...apologize. I did not mean to sound so cruel. I was only trying to help." Eve said.

"You call that helping?" Chung mumbled.

Eve's eyes focused on her immaculate floor, pushing aside Chung's quiet comment. She had rebuilt the emperor's palace and made adjustments, such as security systems or laboratories. She had even built the core underneath the palace for safety measures.

"Would you like anything else? Oberon will fetch it for you." Eve offered. Chung shook his head.

"I actually think I should go. It's late and I have some work to do. I'll see you later I guess?" Chung said. He got to his feet and made his way to the front door, his white, metal boots making loud echoes on the marble floor.

Eve immediately shot up and ran over to grab Chung's hand before he could leave. She seemed shocked by her own actions. It seemed like her body was moving by itself to prevent Chung from leaving. And for once she didn't stop herself.

"Please do not leave, Chung." Eve said. She looked up at Chung who stared back at her, shocked that Eve even so much as touched him. She had never done this before. Not to anyone.

Eve blushed fiercely as Chung looked her over. He smiled sadly and said, "Eve, you know I can't. People are counting on me and I can't let emotions get in the way of that."

Eve froze. Emotion. She had never thought of it that way. What she was doing...was it out of emotion? Out of love?

Eve let go of Chung's hand and stared at the ground. Even if she possibly did feel something, Chung had politely turned her away.

"I...am very, deeply sorry. I did not mean to hurt you or make you uncomfortable." Eve apologized. "I hope this does not damage our friendship in anyway. I enjoy your company."

Chung looked at her for a very long time. Long enough to make Eve blush even more. His cerulean eyes would not stop looking directly into hers. And as more time passed, Eve felt an undeniable urge to push herself against him and let their lips connect.

And then Chung moved his arms, his hands cupped Eve's head and pulled her in close. Eve couldn't even move. She felt like this was so right and that she shouldn't fight back these emotions. Chung allowed her to accept who she was and that no matter how much she was a Nasod, she was a human with emotions as well. She made no effort to stop Chung's advancements as she began to feel his breath against her lips.

"My queen, there seems to be a problem with Ob-" Eve turned away from Chung's grasp and stared at Ophelia, who had just entered the front hall to inform Eve of something.

She stared at Chung and Eve who's faces could count for tomatoes, despite Ophelia not even counting as a human being.

"Is this a bad time? I can take care of Oberon myself if it is." Ophelia suggested.

"N-no! No! That's fine. I will take care of Oberon. You just...escort Chung to his aircraft please." Eve said. Refusing to even glance at Chung.

"Yes milady." Ophelia nodded and walked past Eve, grabbing Chung's arm and dragging him out the door. Eve turned around to see Chung waving at her and exclaiming the occasional 'ow' as they made their way through the garden out front.

Eve sighed and turned around to find Oberon standing there.

"What's wrong with you now?" Eve asked, walking up the short set of steps leading to the common room.

Oberon said nothing, he only approached Eve. It was now that Eve noticed the swords in his hands. She began to grow skeptical. Oberon wasn't usually like this. He was a fool, he acted innocent and playful despite his serious natured creator. Now he was silent and calm. A dangerous sort of calm.

Moby and Remy buzzed around Eve as if they were trying to shield her from Oberon.

"Oberon, put down those swords, you're going to scratch the walls or the floors."

Oberon did not respond. He only began to walk slowly towards Eve. He gripped his swords tighter.

Eve frowned, "Put those swords down! Oberon I command you to put them down!"

But Oberon only began to run, fast and silent, he jumped into the air, doing a midair flip and landing behind Eve who immediately sent out her drones to attack Oberon. But Oberon quickly sliced Remy in half causing Moby to squeal and Eve's jaw to drop.

Eve summoned two Nasod spear above her head and sent them flying towards Oberon. Something was definitely wrong with him. Eve quickly ruled out a bug or a virus. Something was controlling Oberon from a distance. He was no longer the Nasod Eve had intended him to be.


	3. Chapter 3

Add looked over Raven as they made their way through Feita under the cover of night. Soldiers looked up from their posts to see the two of them stroll through the town square.

"Raven! Hey! How you doin'?" One called out. Raven frowned and did not say anything in response.

Raven was not really in control of his body. Add had only hastened the mind control process the Nasod Arm had put in place. It had quickly agreed to Add's terms and approved of his plans, offering its full support. Now with that in place all he had to do was go to Feita's shrine, open up the portal to the Demonic Realm travel to Altera using an airship. Then he could get Eve the one he really wanted.

"Yo, Raven! Thanks for all your help with the Shrine!" Someone called out. Raven's frown grew wider.

"Humans are fools. They act as if everyone is their friend." Raven said.

"They're just expressing their gratitude. It's not that big of a deal anyway. You can change it to your liking when we take over Elrios." Add said.

"I do not want this puny continent. I only want Altera and my rightful place as emperor." Raven said with disdain.

"Funny, neither do I." Add joked.

"You are confusing. I cannot understand your motives or what you live for. What are your goals?" Raven asked, now interested.

"I live...to prove my own worth and to obtain knowledge of the Nasod people. That's why I want Eve's core. If I can get it and study it I will know the secrets of a Nasod and how to further my own technology."

Raven was silent and Add knew he was considering this information. From the look of it he could tell the Nasod was already plotting to betray him. Add could've cared less about what that Nasod wanted or what it would do. Once it was no longer useful, he would override its systems and control Raven all by himself. With only his mind.

Add chuckled and Raven immediately looked at him, glaring, "What do you find amusing, Add?"

"Nothing...nothing at all."

"You've left behind the Elves?" Lento asked Rena who looked at the ground, reminiscing about her past experiences involving the Elves and the Night Savers.

"Yes...they said the minute I had joined the Night Savers

organization I was no longer one of them. I didn't bother arguing anyway."

Rena explained.

Lento smiled as he poured hot water into a teacup for Rena and himself, "Well I guess it's for the better right? I mean you seem to be stronger now."

"I left everything behind when I joined the Night Savers." Rena explained with sadness. "I left my family, my friends, my home. All for power. Does that make me a bad person? To just throw away my old life just to become stronger?"

"Don't think of it that way. Sure you would've had friends and family back with the Elves but they were already growing skeptical of you when you started getting all buddy buddy with Eve and Raven right? Believe me those Elves would've given you the boot sooner or later."

Rena grinned at her friends kind words. She was glad for Lento's company, especially when she knew she couldn't be around the others. They all reminded her of Raven and his inevitable fate. She didn't want to face it even though she knew the day would come. So she had moved in with Lento temporarily to help him guard the Shrine of the El Lady until the troops from Velder could come in to take their place.

"Yeah, thanks, Lento. I really appreciate it." Rena said. Lento stared at her for a minute before blinking and returning to the teacups, putting a tea bag and a two cubes of sugar in each cup. He then placed a cup in front of Rena and himself, sitting down to enjoy his drink.

"I suppose Allegro is keeping himself busy, yes?" Rena asked, trying to make small talk.

"Kid's been running around all morning trying to gather information to give to Vanessa." Lento laughed.

"What do you expect? He's young and Vanessa is quite intimidating when angry."

Lento beamed at Rena who smiled back. Lento took a sip of tea and swallowed, staring at his wooden table then at Rena, this time he blushed, "You see, I was just wondering out of curiousity if you might possibly when we go back to Velder...go somewhere together? I mean like...just...you know..."

Rena's almost choked on her tea. Now this she wasn't expecting. She knew Lento felt something for her but she always shrugged it off as a friendly relationship. Nothing more. Although the idea of being involved with someone so young and so soon after Raven was frightening. But maybe Rena deserved this. After all anything with Raven was hopeless. He was miserable and kept pushing Rena away whenever she had tried to help him. Rena regretted not seeing him again after he had finally took it too far and chased her away but she knew that whatever they had...it was over. It was time to move on and start a new chapter in her life.

"You know, that doesn't sound like a bad ide-" Rena began to say before she heard a loud scream from outside Lento's tent. Rena immediately stared at the door half expecting a wounded soldier to come in.

Rena turned to Lento and they both got to their feet, grabbing their weapons and going outside at once.

Soldiers ran past them going in a single direction where a great orange light was gleaming not too far away. In fact it was very close to the Shrine itself. A cold shiver went down Rena's back and goose bumps trailed their way across her arms as she realized the demons just might be back. Lento grabbed the arm of soldier running by. He looked at Lento, a frightened look on his face.

"What's going on!?" Lento yelled. The soldier was at a loss for words at first but he finally found his voice.

"The shrine. Someone is at the shrine and setting the whole place on fire!"

Lento glowered and let go of the soldier, looking at Rena and then at the road ahead. The two of them ran towards the shrine which stood high in the sky. and a little ways north from their position.

"Rena, you go on ahead, I know you're faster than I am. I'll catch up soon." Lento said. Rena nodded and moved faster, no longer having to hold back for Lento.

In mere minutes she was almost at the entrance to the shrine. There was fire all around and smoke was in the air making it difficult to breathe. The soldiers around her were converging on one particular position right in front of the entrance to the Shrine.

Rena followed them finally stopping when she saw a sight she couldn't believe.

At the center of the flames and destruction all around was the ticking time bomb that her friend had become.

Raven.

Ara coughed into her elbow as she coughed loudly and wiped the blood from her mouth. She clutched her Eun hairpin tightly and looked around the dark forest, praying that no creature would jump out to harm her. She was wounded badly. There were claw marks on her legs and arms that were still bleeding from the fight with Raven. Her body felt heavy and she still felt like she was in a daze from the electric shocks her body had suffered from that crazed maniac controlling Raven.

She winced as she tripped on a tree root and fell on her stomach. She felt like curling up into a ball and crying for her brother to come and save her. But it was futile. She knew that Aren wouldn't be coming. In fact if he was here he would probably finish the job Raven and Crazy Eyes started.

"Eun...please hurry," She begged to the darkness around her. Tears ran down her cheeks as she struggled to get to her feet and failed, her quivering arms giving up as soon as she put them to work. She fought off the urge to just go to sleep. Exhaustion from the battle and traveling all day had begun to take its toll but she knew if she fell asleep she might never wake up.

_You should've went back to Velder and got medical treatment. _Ara thought as looked ahead of her. _Now you're just going to give up and die. You've failed Aren and yourself._

Ara let out a painful laugh. She looked ahead of her to take in her surroundings before she let herself fall into an endless sleep.

Off in the distance she could see an orange glow that lit up the night sky. It was beautiful and calming to Ara. A vivid, living glow for a fading, dying girl.

_How ironic. _She thought as she finally fell asleep.

Chung sighed as twirled one of his Silver Shooters around in his hands. It had been a long travel back to Hamel and he was tired. He tried not to think about Eve but eventually as he turned in for the night in his large palace and laid in his bed under the covers and stared up at the night sky he couldn't help but think about how close they were and how her ivory face had felt in his warm hands. How bright her golden eyes seemed to glow in the fluorescent lighting or how fast his heart was beating as he drew closer to her.

He was confused about everything. He knew he felt something strong for Eve yet he couldn't just say it. He couldn't admit it to himself. Whenever he tried to get close to Eve she always found some way to mess it up. He knew he couldn't blame her for being the way she is but sometimes he wished she could be a little bit more considerate and careful with her word choice. It was just tonight that he decided to push past it and go for it. Just kiss her and go on from there.

And then Ophelia had ruined everything just when it seemed like Chung wouldn't have to start from square one. It seemed the universe just wanted to make things terrible for the two of them.

Yet, he knew he still wouldn't give up. No matter how hard it got someone had to be there for her if anything ever happened.

Chung sighed again and turned over on his side and tried to fall asleep.


	4. Chapter 4

Add laughed at the chaos forming around him. Raven held his Nasod Arm out and it spewed fire which sprayed across the approaching soldiers, which screamed in agony as they were burned alive.

"You can hold them off while I go inside right, Nasod? Is that what I should call you?" Add asked.

"I do not care for what you call me by, human." Raven responded mechanically.

"Whatever you say," Add said as he made his way inside the shrine. The inside was mostly clear other than for a few soldiers guarding the spiral staircase. Add quickly dispatched them, commanding his Dynamos to strike the soldiers and kill them.

With them out of the way he could take time to admire the sheer beauty of it all. There was mosaics and words etched into the walls and floors, pictures describing the events that happened between the Lady of the El and Solace. How he had rescued her from her destiny and escaped with her. Add let his hand travel across the walls as he remembered his own history. Although he hadn't realized it until a few years ago, he had been alive during all of this. His family had been killed for studying the Nasods but Add had been spared and thrown into the slave trade, forced to carry out his days in constant fear and loneliness.

And then he had escaped. He had broken free of his shackles and attempted to escape. But soldiers had come after him and with no way to protect himself, a stomach empty of food, and his own barely healed injuries he did not get very far. But then a portal had opened below him and he fell through, vanishing before the soldiers could find him. Add realized the dimension he had fallen into was an ancient Nasod library. With an abundance of information before him he studied and read and studied more until he knew the insides and out of a Nasod without even looking at their lifeless bodies sprawled out across the floor.

Now he was free and he would use this knowledge to create a new race that wasn't like the Nasod yet wasn't entirely human. He already knew his plans were coming into fruitition when he had commanded one of his Dynamos to fly to Altera and take control of any machine it could find. The Dynamo had successfully captured Eve and her existence was vital to his success.

All he needed was just a little more help, and he could feel the demonic energy at the top of the tower, and he knew that in mere hours, Elrios would be under his control.

Rena stared at the silent Raven before her. His Nasod Arm spraying fire while the armored soldiers desperately tried to find ways to attack him, coming up with nothing. Rena knew in the back of her mind that none of these soldiers was a match for Raven when he was going all out, and even now he was merely holding these soldiers back.

Rena gripped her bow tighter as she steeled her heart and prepared for the worst. She dashed through the fire, silent and speedy, and jumped out when she heard the mechanical groans of Raven's Nasod technology.

Rena released a volley of arrows toward Raven who was caught by surprise, the fire stopped as Raven blocked the arrows with his left arm and glared at Rena.

"Raven," Rena said as she looked him over. He was the same as always, his black hair spiky and wild. His sleeveless shirt still revealed his muscular arms and chest and his black pants were still in perfect condition. His eyes were a smooth lavender color and yet they were deadly.

"You are the female elf, Rena. You intend to stop me, Rena of the Night Savers?" Raven said, his voice not his own.

"Raven, please, don't do this. This isn't you. I thought you were done with revenge! How could you let this monster control you!?" Rena's pleads soon became screams as tears began to blur her vision.

"You humans are all the same. You are foolish for letting emotions cloud your judgment." Raven said.

"Don't make me do this." Rena said, her voice quivering, she unsheathed her dagger Erendil and slid her bow across her body.

"Do what? You are incapable of defeating or even killing me at the level I am at now. You will only die terribly as the soldiers around you have." Raven stated.

Rena smiled as tears ran down her face and she raised Erendil in front of her, "Come on, Raven. Show me what you got."

"Hey, Aisha," Aisha heard Elsword whisper behind her. Aisha looked up to see Elsword slowing down to walk beside Aisha.

"Oh...uh, hey." Aisha responded, determined to not let her nervousness show.

"We didn't really get to have a proper conversation before and I was just...you know...I thought I would just see how you're doing." Elsword said, smiling and blushing lightly.

Aisha smiled at the red-haired boy who had more or less become more soft and calm as opposed to his younger self which had been much more brash and hot-headed. This Elsword was also noticeably more concerned for Aisha's well being than in the past. Or maybe he did but Aisha had never noticed.

"I...I..." Aisha tried to think of something to say but came up with nothing. In truth nothing was going great for Aisha. She was considerably stronger and more confident in her abilities but to others she was a demon. A witch. A monster. At the same time she felt like she was losing her mind. One time she had completely lost consciousness and awoken in the middle of her forest. The grass beneath her was burnt and the trees were black and charred as if she had gone on a rampage. Another time she had gotten so angry after walking into town that she broke her dining table in half and ripped her chairs into pieces. She knew something was wrong but she just couldn't face it and not cringe.

"I'm fine." Aisha said, looking into the trees surrounding her. They had crossed Bethma and its many valleys and deserts in mere hours thanks to Eun's blessing which gave them an instant boost in speed. Now as the constant mix of orange, yellow, and brown colors etched into the terrain turned into green and red and white the group slowed down and took a short break to walk as they made their way toward Feita.

"You don't mean that." Elsword guessed. "What's really wrong?"

"You wouldn't understand if I told you." Aisha grumbled.

"Maybe if you stopped putting up walls and told me I would try to understand." Elsword said.

Aisha looked at him this time, staring into his fiery red eyes, "Why do you have to be like that?"

"Like what?"

"Why do you have to be so persistent? Just leave me alone, will you?"

Elsword grimaced and let out a sigh, he threw his hands up in defeat, "I can't help you unless you tell me what's wrong."

"What makes you think I need help?"

"You're so defensive, normally you'd just start complaining so obviously it's something serious." Elsword explained, he looked around especially at Angkor who was flying above, staring at something off in the distance. "Is it Angkor? Is something wrong with your powers or something?"

"Guys!" Lowe shouted interrupting their conversation. He was pointing upwards at the sky. By now Eun had noticed it and his slender eyes were now wide.

"Oh god," Aisha gasped as she saw the bright orange light illuminating the night sky. "Angkor have you been seeing this the entire time!?"

"Possibly, but something else caught my attention, is that the El Lady's shrine?" Angkor asked.

"It's Raven. He must be going to the Shrine, but why?" Elsword said.

"If you ask me, whatever your friend's doing involves the gate to the demon realm where I used to be." Angkor stated, landing on Aisha's shoulder.

"Demons?" Aisha asked, frightened by the mention of those monsters.

"Yep! In fact, why don't we just go to the Shrine and stop him while we're here, huh? I'm curious to learn what he's really doing in there." Angkor suggested with a big smile on his face.

"Yeah," Lowe said breaking into a sprint, "Let's go, we still have to worry about Ara don't we?"

Eun nodded, "In any case I think it's best I leave you and look for Ara by myself so that you three may check on the Shrine. Just follow the orange light." Eun began to run but stopped himself, he looked back at us, "Angkor, don't you dare try anything when you get to that Shrine. Good luck with Raven."

He took off in a blur of red and white, moving much faster than he had before.

Elsword took Aisha's hand much to her dismay and pulled her forward, "Come on, Aisha. We don't have any more time to waste."

Elesis stared at the bartender as he poured Vodka into a shot glass. He then pushed it in front of her and raised an eyebrow.

"You're Elesis of the Red Knights aren't you?" The bartender asked, obviously curious. Elesis rolled her eyes.

"Can we not talk about that right now?" Elesis asked, drinking the liquid fire in one go. She swallowed with little difficulty and slammed the glass back down on the granite counter, "Another!"  
"Don't you have important things to do? Things that don't involve drinking?" The bartender asked.

"Like what? Play the loyal puppy dog for Velder? No thank you, I am done with that life!" Elesis spat.

The bartender sighed and shrugged, taking the shot glass away to go refill it. Elesis groaned and held her forehead in her hands, rubbing her temples and reminiscing about her old life with the Red Knights. She had left to find and kill the demon Scar and had come across Penensio and his group the Red Knights, The two had got along well and soon Elesis had joined them. After the incident at Feita's Shrine and helping Velder fight off the waves of demons invading saving the city from destruction she settled down in Velder, forgetting about Scar and her past. She trained knights alongside Vanessa, teaching them basic sword formations and how to use runes and such. She was the Leader of the Red Knights and Velder's most valuable fighter. And then Penensio had approached her one afternoon after she had fought off a group of mercenaries.

"Elesis," He had said after running into her, calling her over and leading her into a coffee shop where they settled down and began to talk over a plate of cookies and warm sugared tea.

"A boy came to me about a week ago when I was over by Elder. He looked a lot like you, serious expression, scarlet hair, red eyes. He was asking for a girl with red hair and a big sword. I thought he might be asking for you but...I told him I didn't know who he was talking about and he started sulking, saying goodbye and turning to leave. Elesis, do you know who this boy might be? Is he...related to you?" Penensio had explained.

Elesis left the coffee shop in an instant, leaving Penensio with the bill.

She had forgotten Elsword, and Lowe, and Anne, and Hagus and everyone back in Ruben. She had forgotten her old life in an instant and hadn't even bothered to hold onto it. She had told Elsword to wait for her and she had never came back. He must have been searching for her all this time and she hadn't even cared about him or Ruben. Now she was determined to travel back to Ruben and find him, even if she had to travel all over Elrios. She knew she would sneak out soon, tonight even. But not before drowning out her sorrows with a little bit of Vodka.


	5. Chapter 5

_Just to clarify on the character job classes, it's Add: Mastermind, Elesis: Brave Heart, Elsword: Lord Knight, Chung: Deadly Chaser, Ara: Little Specter (I know that class has just come out and it's not even in America where I live but I've seen enough on the wiki to use her.) and you have to know the others by now._

_ But anyways, thank you for reviewing and following and favoriting even though it's not a lot I do enjoy when people show their appreciation :). I just got back from Atlantic City yesterday so I haven't really updated for a while. Hopefully I'll be able to update weekly from now on. Enjoy the story!_

"Aisha, can you fly us?" Elsword asked as the three of them raced through the forest to reach the bright light in the distance and the towering Shrine. All three of them were tired of running and although they were significantly closer than when Eun had left them they still had quite a ways to go. The fact that none of them had gotten any sleep and it was still very early in the morning made them even more exhausted than normal.

"Uh, Angkor...?" Aisha asked, turning toward her winged partner.

Angkor frowned and his gleaming eyes stared up into the sky and then back down at Elsword and the others.

"What do you think I am? A taxi? I need something in return for my service, that's how this whole spirit contract works!" Angkor glared at Aisha who slammed her palm into her forehead. He then smiled, "But I'll make an exception just this once since it's urgent."

Angkor hopped off of Aisha's shoulder and his wings enlarged but his body still stayed small. He grabbed Aisha and lifted her into the air slowly but surely.

"Grab my hand guys!" Aisha said, motioning the both of them forward and holding out her hands. Elsword and Lowe grabbed an arm for themselves and rose into the air.

Elsword watched as the ground beneath went farther and farther away.

"Alright everyone! Hold on tight to the Angkor Express because I ain't stoppin' for no one!" Angkor announced.

Before Elsword could even understand Angkor's childish words, he flew at top speed which was too much for the three humans to withstand. Elsword winced and struggled to see as the cold wind slapped his face and made his eyes water. His clothes rustled in the wind and he hoped his sword wouldn't fall off his belt.

The wind became less harsh and more soft as Angkor slowed down. Elsword opened his eyes to absorb his surroundings. He was still in the air and being carried by the grinning bat. But instead of being in the middle of the forest he was flying over a burnt battlefield. Bodies was strewn around the brunt grass and flames flickered and swayed to the wind. The only thing that seemed remotely alive was two figures moving away from each other and then toward each other, like they were fighting.

"Hey, who's that?" Lowe asked, looking down at the two silhouettes.

"We're too far away. I can't see that well," Aisha whined.

"I think it's Raven. Why else would there be fire everywhere?" Elsword said. "He might even be fighting Lento or..."

"Rena," Aisha finished for him. Elsword knew Rena had ran away from Velder and Raven to find something else to occupy her. She had been residing in Feita to help Lento guard the Shrine and help Allegro gather information.

"Drop me, Aisha. I gotta find out," Elsword demanded. "If it is Raven...I made a promise..."

"Elsword, I'm not dropping you. That's a stupid idea and we're too high up anyway!" Aisha argued.

Elsword grimaced, "Fine, go lower and drop me down, then."

"No." Aisha simply stated.

"Aisha!"

"I said no you idiot!"

"You don't understand!"

"Just shut up!"

"Can we not do this right now!?" Lowe intervened, staring at the two as if they were children. "Elsword, our main priority right now is the Shrine. You know what might happen if those demons come back into this world again. I don't know if you can close that portal the second time around."

Elsword bit his lip and tried to find something logical to say back. His mind came up with nothing and his determination began to fade away.

"Whatever, but as soon as we're done with that stupid Shrine I'm going to deal with Raven." Elsword grumbled.

"Who's that?" Aisha suddenly asked. Elsword looked forward to see two people at the top of the Shrine. One was curled up in a ball while the other was standing, his back straight and his white hair was tied back in a ponytail. His hands were gloved and behind his back. He seemed to be studying the pedestal where the El Crystal once sat.

Elsword knew that man did not mean good news. He placed his free hand on the handle of his blade, "Guess we'll find out soon."

"So how exactly do you create a portal to the Demon Realm?" Add asked, turning toward his quivering captive, Allegro.

"I-I-I-I'm not...I'm not sure..." Allegro said.

Add's smile quickly turned upside down, unhappy with Allegro's answer. His Dynamo immediately responded to Add's thoughts as Allegro was hit with several volts of electricity. The boy cried out in agony as he was violently electrocuted. Once it was over he twitched slightly and sobbed.

"Oh...make it stop," Allegro moaned. "I'll help you just stop!"

"That's a good boy, now how do you open a portal?" Add asked impatiently. He had come this far and he was extremely eager to have an army of demons at his side. He was even more eager to have Eve's developed Nasod Core in his possession.

"There's a spell you must recite in order to summon a bridge between Elrios and the Demon Realm. The last person to open it was a dark mage. Unless you have some sort of magical roots or powers you can't open it." Allegro revealed.

Add's eyes widened and his jaw dropped. This couldn't be happening. Years of planning and everything was already falling apart. This wasn't how everything was supposed to go down. Without an army of demons to help him there was no way he could take on Velder's army and steal an airship, let alone fly it to Altera without getting killed. Add clenched his fists and cried out in frustration. He laid his eyes on Allegro, the source of his rage and released waves of electric shocks onto his frail body.

"HEEEEEEEEEEEEEYYYYYYYYYYYYY!" A loud voice cut through Allegro's painful cries. Add turned his head as three humans sailed through the air and landed a few feet away from Allegro.

One of them who had fiery red hair pointed a finger in Add's direction, who was annoyed and bewildered by this sudden appearance.

"What did you do!?" The boy shouted accusingly. "Who are you!?"

"You are trying to open a portal to the Demon Realm right?" Another voice which came from a petite sized bat, resting on a girl's shoulder.

Add paused trying to digest everything that was happening. He carefully analyzed the situation, two boys were armed with swords, unsheathed and sharp while the girl was only armed with an axe staff. The bat was harmless and anything but a threat. His Dynamos studied the group and passed more information onto Add.

As Add looked them over one of his Dynamos began to study the girl and the bat. The information Add gained created a wide grin on his face.

That girl, whether she knew it or not, was the key to Add's success.

Aisha looked over at Allegro who was crying in pain and gave him a pitiful look. The young boy had never done anything wrong except be in the wrong place at the wrong time. She turned away from him and focused on the white-haired enemy in front of her.

"To answer your question _Angkor_ I am opening a portal to the Demon Realm. Isn't it obvious?" The man said, lifting his hands up in an innocent motion.

"Ha! I knew people still remembered me! The world will soon suffer the terrible fury of Angkor! I will carry out my father's wishes and destroy the world!" Angkor chanted.

Lowe raised an eyebrow, "What's he talking about?"

Aisha shrugged, "You know Angkor, he's being a dummy."

Angkor only laughed at Aisha's remark and gripped her shoulder tighter.

"I believe I haven't introduced myself properly, I am Add, a brilliant scientist with an array of weapons made by myself to use in battle. I do hope you don't plan to fight me," Add introduced, bowing his head.

"Are you behind the whole thing with Raven!? Are you using him to open a stupid portal!?" Elsword asked, his anger evident.

Add smirked, "So what if I am?"

Elsword charged forward, sword in hand. He jumped into the air, bringing his sword down where Add's head was. Add merely sidestepped and withdrew a glowing purple cube which he gently pressed into Elsword's side, the cube exploded in a burst of lightning and plasma. He then held his hand out and a circular console appeared.

"Activate: Dynamo Drone," Add began. "Install: Ultimate Fury."

Three circular discs appeared with a glowing center. Two of them released a pinkish beam at Elsword and one targeted Lowe. Aisha watched as Lowe quickly went down, the beam knocking him out cold. Elsword tried to withstand the pain but he fell as well. Before any of their injuries could become fatal Aisha moved. She summoned a black orb and sent it flying in Add's direction.

The genius moved to the left, barely avoiding the orb. Aisha then released a beam of dark magic at the ground, hoping Add would fall through but the man was smarter than he looked.

He quickly jumped backwards and sent a diamond shaped drone flying in the Princess' direction.

Before the drone could pierce Aisha it paused directly in front of her forehead. She froze in fear, shocked by the sudden closeness. Angkor however let go of Aisha's shoulder and flew into the air. He was arguably safe from Add's attacks, however Aisha was still in danger.

"Hey, hey! I didn't come here to fight you dumbo! You need magic to open that portal right? Well I got magic!" Angkor said. He waved his wing in Aisha's direction.

_What!? _Aisha thought immediately. Her head snapped up and she brought her axe staff up defensively, backing away from the diamond drone and bringing herself closer to the edge of the tower. She didn't know what kind of game Angkor was playing, whether he was trying to trick Add or betraying Aisha and the others was a mystery. She had a hunch it was the latter of those two.

"Angkor, what the hell!?" Aisha exclaimed. "You can't be serious,"

"Sorry babe, I've been waiting years for someone to come along and make a contract with me just for this moment." Angkor explained, "My father wreaked havoc and spread fear across the land centuries ago. He may be dead but I will take his place with an army of demons behind me, that is the purpose for my existence! You're just a puppet in this little show of mine."

Aisha gritted her teeth and held her palm out, mumbling an incantation and waiting for a black orb to form in front of her. Nothing happened.

"Wha...?" Aisha stared at her hand. _No magic, I have no magic. _She realized. Panic coursed through her veins as she remembered the day she had lost all her powers due to that cursed ring. The mages at her academy had decided that Aisha was much too powerful for her own good and too brash for her own good. Therefore they declared they would only sap her power away slowly with the ring, disguised as a gift. Instead it had taken everything from her in an instant, leaving her powerless and afraid.

"You're no longer in control of your actions, Aisha. I'm controlling you." Angkor informed. Aisha tried to look up at the flying bat but failed. She could not shake the feeling of helplessness and fear that struck her then. The fact that she was merely a tool, a lifeless doll for Angkor to use and that she hadn't seen through his unusual eagerness and quickened pace sickened her. She was supposed to be smart and controlled not naive and foolish.

Aisha tried to scream, to cry, to move.

But she was just a tool.


	6. Chapter 6

_Hello, again. Sorry it's been so long since I've updated, I've been busy focusing on some other stories of mine so this one got put on the backburner for a little while. Also I realized that Eun is a female and not a guy. But I'm going to leave him/her the way he is for the sake of the story. Anyways I hope that you guys enjoy this chapter and I hope to see you again next week._

Ara felt a warmness growing throughout her body which was surprising considering she expected to be dead and on her way to the afterlife by now.

"Eun?" She managed to whisper, barely managing to get herself up and lean on a nearby tree trunk.

"It is me, Ara. I'm back and I have led Elsword, Aisha, and Lowe to your attacker's position." Eun softly spoke in her head. " Do not worry, I'm healing your wounds. I'm glad I got here in time. Any later and you would've really died."

Ara smiled at the white fox's voice. A soft, wispy white aura surrounded her and she felt at peace. The cuts on her body seemed to disappear and the blood dried. She looked around the dark forest for her spear and found it lodged in a tree a few feet from her. Soon the white glow disappeared and Eun spoke once again in her mind.

"Your wounds have been healed. Shall we proceed to Feita?" He said.

Ara smiled and walked over to her spear, forcefully pulling it out without much effort.

"Yeah,"

Elsword watched as Aisha walked over to Add's side and to the center of the top of the tower. He wanted to shout at her and try and understand just what she was doing. His body twitched slightly due to the electric shocks he had underwent previously and his head ached. He could barely even keep his eyes open.

"Thank you very much, Angkor." Add expressed his gratitude and smiled deviously. Elsword desperately wanted to grab his sword and fight back once again. But he was paralyzed and weak. His attempts would be to no avail.

He continued to watch as Aisha mumbled something very lengthy and incoherent. Immediately a dark purple light shot from her hands and into the pedestal where the El Crystal normally would've been before it had been broken. An El shard rose into the air, giving off a dark light. Elsword watched in disbelief as the clouds in the night sky moved and swirled around and around creating a massive hole in the sky and revealing the shining white moon.

"Wha-wha-what?" Allegro sputtered. He inched backwards obviously sensing something was wrong. Elsword tried to move once again, to speak, anything but he only got a twitch in response.

"Creations of Krom, avengers of darkness, reach down from the heavens to exact your revenge on the world of humans!" Aisha announced, she lifted her hands into the air and a beam of concentrated energy shot down from the heavens and hit the pedestal. Wind and dust blew away from the beam, slapping Elsword's face and making it hard to see.

"Yes! Yes! Father, I am making you proud!" Angkor chanted happily. Add merely had the same smirk on his face.

"Oh god, Aisha stop! Please, you're going to destroy Elrios!" Allegro called out. He then turned to Elsword, a pleading expression on his face.

"Stop her! Stop them! Elsword, come on!"

Elsword stared back at the boy, tears were streaming down his face and his eyes read pure fear.

Elsword felt his determination returning as the Shrine began to rumble and shake, the floor underneath Elsword cracking and quivering. He immediately mustered all the energy he had and managed to get to his feet, he gripped his sword tighter and made his way over to Aisha, Add, and Angkor.

The purple beam of energy immediately began to shrink in size until it had disappeared completely. Elsword paused to analyze the situation. The pedestal was completely broken and in its place was a man with coal-colored skin and gleaming red eyes. White hair covered his right eye and reached down to his back. He was almost completely covered in black and red armor. He was menacing and intimidating yet calm and collected at the same time. In truth Elsword was already afraid of him.

"Hey! Who the hell are you!? I asked for an army of demons not a stupid sissy boy!" Angkor whined whilst flapping his wings.

The man looked over the small bat and shook his head, a smile on his face, "I presume you are Angkor? Krom's son?"

"I see my fame precedes me, but who are you!?"

"The King of the Demon Realm, Ran. So you want a little army of your own, huh?"

"Yeah, but I got you instead. Is my girl not good enough to summon a whole crapton of you!?"

"It's astounding she was even able to summon me from the Demon Realm. No matter, at least now I'm here and I can finally carry out what I intended to do." Ran formed a black orb of energy in his hand and tossed it into the sky. The orb expanded but before it could do anything more a spinning red sword came out from the blue, slicing the orb in half and causing it to dissolve.

"Who...?" Everyone turned to Lowe who was now on his feet, panting heavily and staring back at the Demon King. "What is this? I can't believe an idiotic human such as yourself would dare to fight me. It's insanity. Is your race really that stupid?"

"You think you can just come out of nowhere and try to destroy the world!? No way, I won't let you, even if I must die, I'll stop you." Lowe spat back, his voice clearly filled with rage.

"Lowe! D-don't!" Elsword called, he stumbled and fell, relying on his sword to keep him steady.

"Fool." Ran simply stated. His eyes glowed and he stared at Lowe who immediately stiffened and fell to his knees, doing a sharp inhale and then fainting on the floor.

Ran repeated the process as Elsword rushed to Lowe's side. Shaking him and checking his pulse to make sure he was really okay. When he felt the soft bump against his fingers he let out a relieved sigh and focused his attention back to the group of demons and humans. Elsword looked up when he heard a ear-splitting shriek from up above. He saw a giant circle of spiraling dark energy. But it wasn't a circle it was a portal.

_Oh no, _Elsword thought as a wave of demons, large and small, winged and webbed, strong and weak, fell from the portal and entered Elrios, to wreak havoc once again.

Rena stopped for a mere second when the sky glowed an eerie purple and thousands of monsters rained down from the heavens, releasing ear-splitting screeches.

"No!" She shouted. Her gaze fell back down to Raven who was smiling.

Rena charged forward now determined to get into the shrine. Raven met her halfway and her dagger clashed with his sword. She jumped back as he slashed the air, trying to cut her. Rena quickly withdrew her bow and sent a volley of green arrows in his direction. He blocked them with his sword and moved forward, thrusting his sword forward. Rena quickly sidestepped and sent a knee into his side. He flew back but quickly recovered, landing on his legs in a crouching position. She took the opportunity to run as fast as she could, pushing her legs farther than she'd ever did.

A wave of flames trapper her into a blazing circle. Smoke clouded her vision and heat struck her in waves.

She coughed and tried to find some way out. Everything was bright red and orange. She saw a black figure in the distance moved toward her. She stepped back in response.

Sharp pain coursed through her body as her back stung and her eyes watered. She collapsed to her knees and tightened her grip around Erendil.

"Poor elf. Lost in the fire. All that will remain is ashes." Raven's voice flooded her ears and all she saw was death. Dark, black, death. It would claim her here and now.

Maybe it would be better if she just stopped. She found herself slowly releasing her dagger and hearing it drop to the ground. _No point...Raven's too strong. I can't save him._

Tears ran down her face as Raven kneeled down in front of her and grabbed her neck, raising her into the air and slowly constricting her. Rena gasped for breath and flailed in the air for a few seconds. But she stopped, trying to relax and let the darkness take her. Her eyes slowly lowered onto Raven's emotionless face. A smile formed on her face. She was glad his handsome face was the last thing to be ingrained in her memory. His long pointed nose. The scars plastered across his face. His thin, black eyebrows. His dark, spiky hair. His thin lips.

She only regretted not being able to see his bright amber eyes that had entranced her from the beginning.

She watched as a tear fell down his face.

She knew. She knew he was still in there.

And suddenly she didn't want to die.

Aisha was in a dark place. A very dark place. She was cold and hungry and weak and frail. She was curled up in a dark room somewhere. She didn't know how she got there or why she was there. She knew she had come from somewhere. She remembered bright red hair. She remembered a long green bow. She remembered piercing red eyes, blue bullets flying through the air, a black spear protruding from the ground. Why couldn't she remember everything?

She felt nothing. Like she was just an empty husk with grasping for something to make her whole.

Why was she here? What was she doing before this?

She tried to speak but nothing came out. She wanted to say the name that was on her mind but she couldn't get it out. Why couldn't she speak?

"You are mine. Mine. Mine. Mine." A voice spoke. It was deep and menacing and it made Aisha shiver. Where did this voice come from?

She didn't know. She didn't know...


End file.
